Call of Duty : World at War review

It has only been a couple of months since I played Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and I am ashamed (I just didn't get around to playing the first 3 installments) to say that it was the first Call of Duty installment I ever played. I enjoyed it very much but was determined to play World at war without comparing it to Modern Warfare.

Unlike Modern Warfare, World at War goes back to World War 2 with me playing as Pvt. Miller for US Infantry against the Japanese in some campaigns and as Pvt. Dmitri for the Russians against the Germans in the rest. The entire game can be reviewed in one word: Intense. There are very few moments in the game in which not less than ten people are shooting at you at the same time. Fight setups range from trenches, caves, historical places, libraries, offices, streets of Berlin, underground train stations to the german parliament. There is also a campaign in which I play a gunner in an aircraft shooting at other aircrafts and boats in the ocean. The layouts are well thought out and as realistic as they can get. The graphics are good but do not stand out like Crysis. The sets are massive, impressive and very engaging. This is the kind of game which justfies my investment in high end gaming hardware.

World at war does a thorough job of making one feel brutal and sadistic. There are stages in the game where you are forced to be ruthless and kill those seeking mercy. I even felt guilty at times during the game. In the end I was left with a feeling that even though the war was justified by the need to pacify the Japanese and the Germans, the battlefield reality of the situation is that the soldiers are possessed by a rage to kill with total disregard for the larger picture. War is crime under the name of justice issued out by your senior ranking officers which you follow without question. The soldiers do not know the larger picture. Knowing that so many people died is down right scary and World at war ensures you do not leave the gaming table without the feeling of sadness for the millions of lives lost.

Finishing the game reveals a special stage after the credits where you fight German zombies. It was a little fun but for the realistic game that Call of Duty is, such anomalies are uncalled for. All in all, Call of Duty 5: World at war is a must play game for any gamer who calls himself one